Met warning went unheard

Had the state government heeded the warning from Srinagar8217;s meteorological office two days before the snow tsunami hit south Kashmir, h...

Had the state government heeded the warning from Srinagar8217;s meteorological office two days before the snow tsunami hit south Kashmir, hundreds of lives could have been saved.

8216;8216;We had already communicated the warning to the state administration,8217;8217; says G.K. Mohanty, director of the Met Department, Srinagar. 8216;8216;We even requested Radio Kashmir and Srinagar Doordarshan to make repeated broadcasts8230;We informed the divisional commissioner8217;s office, police control room, traffic police and the state media8230;Even if others are at fault, we get the blame.8217;8217;

CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed8217;s secretary, Nayeem Akhtar, said even if the Met department had warned of heavy snowfall, it doesn8217;t help. 8216;8216;We have a thousand villages like Waltengo Nar spread across Kashmir where a similar tragedy can take place. There is hardly anything possible to avert a disaster caused by the nature8217;s fury.8217;8217;

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Khursheed Ahmad Ganai was not available for comment. However, SSP Traffic Rouf-ul-Hassan agrees the forecast was 8216;8216;unfavourable8217;8217;. 8216;8216;Who believes in these predictions?8217;8217;

Hassan insists 8216;8216;nobody is stranded on this side of the Jawahar tunnel8217;8217;. 8216;8216;Our jurisdiction is upto the tunnel. And then the road is closed not because of the snow but due to the landslides.8217;8217; He adds they had mentioned unambiguously that the forecast is not favourable and people should proceed only under pressing circumstances.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed after the snowstorm and around 4,000 passengers have been stranded on the highway for more than a week now.

Sources in the Met department say the matter could also be taken up in Parliament.

Bashaarat Masood

Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More